MSP to DCA flight delays

MSP DCA Minneapolis Saint Paul / Wold Chamberlain to Ronald Reagan Washington · 931 miles

7,258 flights were scheduled from MSP to DCA over July 2023 through June 2026. Of the 7,045 that made the trip, 77.6% reached the gate less than 15 minutes behind schedule. These are arrival figures: “on time” means the flight reached the gate less than 15 minutes behind schedule. Arrivals are what decide whether you make the connection, so route and airline pages are scored on them rather than on pushback.

Data through June 2026 · Bureau of Transportation Statistics

The route in brief

Flights in the window
7,258
Arrived on time
77.6%
Cancelled
2.2%
Scheduled distance
931 miles

Cancellations are counted against everything scheduled. Diverted flights are counted with them rather than as very late arrivals, which is why the on-time share and the cancellation rate do not add up to everything that happened.

Airline by airline

Airlines with at least 100 flights on MSP–DCA, busiest first. Same route, same weather, same air traffic — which makes this the fairest comparison on the site.

Airline Arrived on time Typical delay Cancelled Flights
Delta Air Lines 79.6% 58 min 1.2% 5,165
PSA Airlines 70.3% 119 min 5.7% 1,350
Republic Airways 77.5% 64 min 3.6% 385
Envoy Air 77.6% 65 min 2.2% 268

Month by month

June was the month to avoid on MSP–DCA: 69.2% of flights arrived on time, against 86.4% in October. Each bar pools three years of that calendar month.

Share of flights that arrived on time, by calendar month. Best month in green, worst in amber. The hairline sits at the overall rate, 77.6%.
Arrival on-time share, MSP to DCA, by calendar month
Month Share flights that arrived on time Flights
January 77.2% 604
February 72% 551
March 74.1% 599
April 81.7% 581
May 79.5% 624
June 69.2% 620
July 69.6% 631
August 76% 631
September 86.3% 613
October 86.4% 629
November 83.8% 580
December 74.2% 595

Both ends of the route

A route’s record is built out of two airports’ habits. The hour-by-hour grid for each is on its own page.

MSP to DCA in one number

MSP → DCA

When a flight on this route was late, it was late by about 74 min.

July 2023–June 2026 · 7,258 flights

77.6% of flights arrived on time

Questions about MSP to DCA

Which airline is most reliable from MSP to DCA?
Delta Air Lines — its flights on this pairing arrived on time 79.6% of the time, with 5,165 scheduled. PSA Airlines came in at 70.3% over 1,350 scheduled. Airlines with fewer than 100 flights on the route are not rated.
What is the worst month to fly MSP to DCA?
June, at 69.2% of arrivals on time, with 620 flights scheduled. October was the best of the year at 86.4%.
How late are MSP–DCA flights when they are late?
74 min on average, counting only the flights that arrived 15 minutes or more behind schedule. The on-time flights are left out of that average on purpose — mixing them in would flatter it.
How often is the MSP to DCA flight cancelled?
2.2% of scheduled flights on this route were cancelled, July 2023 through June 2026. Diverted flights are counted with the cancellations rather than as late arrivals.
Are these departure or arrival numbers?
Arrival. A flight counts as on time here if it reached the gate at DCA less than 15 minutes behind schedule. Airport pages score departures instead, because that is the number you can act on when you pick a booking time.